Rebuilding Better: Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Puerto Rico recently suffered devastating damage as a result of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, caused power outages for over 1 million people living in Puerto Rico. Not long after, category 4 Hurricane Maria made direct landfall on Puerto Rico, uprooting the lives of 3.4 million U.S. citizens. Several days later, millions of households remain without power, water, fuel, or cell phone service. In many remote areas, food supply is running short. Hospitals are running on back-up generators, but capacity and resources are limited.

Despite all of this, the situation is on track toward improvement. We can use this as an opportunity to engage in discussions geared toward reform, reconstruction, and modernization of infrastructure and preparedness.

This discussion seeks to answer three overarching questions:

How can the U.S. better prepare for these types of natural events?

How can the U.S. better react to these types of natural events?

Does this disaster open the door to a different – or better – future for Puerto Rico in terms of preparation?